That's the question Boundless writer Scott Croft asks.

And his answer:

I believe the Bible to teach that all sexual activity outside of marriage is sin, and all romantically oriented physical activity is sexual activity. In my view, this includes premarital kissing.

Well, as I said before, "It's not premarital kissing, if you don't plan on getting married." But I still love the phrase, and I'm totally using it with my friends.

Also, Boundless has a blog. It's great fun.

LOUISA, Va. - A retired Roman Catholic priest suspected of living a double life as a family man appeared in court Thursday to face accusations that he embezzled thousands from two parishes.

Rodis was indicted Jan. 8 on one count of felony embezzlement. Rodis had been pastor at St. Jude in Mineral and Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Bumpass between 1993 and May 2006.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond has said Rodis embezzled more than $600,000 from his two parishes, but a state police investigator said the sum could top $1 million.

There's even more here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070118/ap_on_re_us/priest_charged

There seems to be an article like this in the news almost every day, yet these articles are seldom brought up. (Except here, of course!)

I have decided to add another blogger to this blog. Bascially because having others contribute to the blog gives the site a more well-rounded feel. And it also keeps me from getting completely burnt out, which is nice.

The blogger is going by the name Diogenes. And here is why he picked the name. From Wikipedia:

"Diogenes, a celibate and a beggar who made his home in the streets of Athens, made a virtue out of extreme poverty." "His was a relentless campaign to "debunk" social values and institutions." "Unlike the other citizens of Athens, he avoided earthly pleasures.

This attitude was grounded in a great disdain for what he perceived as the folly, pretence, vanity, social climbing, self-deception, and artificiality of much human conduct."  

And the best part:  "He used to stroll through the Agora at full daylight with a torch (or, as legend sometimes has it, a lantern). When asked what he was doing, he would answer, "I am just looking for an honest man." Diogenes looked for an honest man, and reputedly found nothing but rascals and scoundrels." 

I guess I am looking for honest pastors and honest churches, but I keep finding scoundrels. (Note: I do know several pastors who are wonderful men, I am proud to call them my friends. They are just so RARE!)

Should be fun.

The Frontline episode last night focused on the abuse of a young boy by a Boston Catholic Priest. The producers of the show, including one of the abused boys, held a chat today discussing the episode. Here are two of the better comments.

Corpus Christi, Texas: I am sorry for your brother's abuse and all the pain he and your family have suffered. This has not been my experience with the Catholic church — it is a bunch of human beings trying and many times failing to do God's will. I love my Catholic faith — it is a tremendous comfort to me and in spite of all the perverts and other sinners there, I do believe it is Jesus' one true church and survives because of the Holy Spirit's guidance. Sorry you are so bitter and have to blaspheme in your film, I was very offended by that. I am not an ignorant, superstitious, guilt-ridden person as you label people in my church. I am praying for your healing and peace.

Paul Cultrera: I'm sorry if you were offended by any blasphemy on my part. Perhaps you can understand that any of that may come from the experience that I had encountering the lies and hypocricy that were presented to me by the leaders of the archdioceses of Boston. I make no claim to be anything other than a human being with all the load of failings that humans have, including the occasional blasphemous remark. The bishops etc., behind their vestments and the power of their office, commit, in my opinion, the truly blasphemous actions when they choose to protect themselves instead of helping those whose souls they supposedly care for.

I do not beleive that all people who practice the cathloic faith are ignorant, superstitious and guilt-ridden. My parents, sister and many other memebrs of my family still participate as catholics, and I do not hold them in scorn.

As for healing and peace, I have found much of that through my realtionships with my family and friends. It is in those realtionships that I have found truth and honesty, as opposed to what I found from the catholic hierarchy.

Philadelphia: When you were young, did parents instill in their children the notion that priests were the embodiment of Christ? I ask because it seems so many predators knew the safety this gave them, and how it would protect them even from suspicious parents: How could they be questioned when faith taught that they were all powerful and anything they did had to have been done so for some almighty reason? I think it was sick, but that was the comfort these predators took.

Joe Cultrera: We were taught that they were the "Hand of God." That's where the ironic title comes from - those hands were also doing things they shouldn't with young boys AND girls; while other hands shuffled papers that created more opportunities for the perps. Having the power that they did instilled great protection. Additionally we were taught embarrassment and shame about all things sexual - this was a great shield - they knew we would not talk about this sinful stuff. But we have no grown older and wiser.

There are a lot of similarities among religions.

 In all fairness (in my last X-Factor post I made a few assumptions) I decided to listen to PF's latest sermon titled The Foundation for Expectation is Desire (1/07/07). I was hoping to hear a balanced approach to Expectation and at first I thought I was in luck.

Right from the get go Frank says something to the effect of "We will deal with Disappointment because you can't talk about Expectation unless you deal with Disappointment, because that is where people lose their Expectation." Sounds like we are off to a good start, Frank and I agree.

He then gives a formula for Expectation which is: Desire + Hope + Faith = Expectation. Unfortunately this is where he starts to lose me.

Throughout the remainder of his sermon he goes into how people lose their "desire" due to "disappointment", but instead of allowing his congregation to be "real" and helping them deal with "life", Frank's focus is only on "restoring Faith when lost".

Again, there is nothing wrong with that in itself, but without a balanced approach it is simply misleading… in my opinion.

Frank quotes a number of scriptures regarding God giving you the desires of your heart (Psalm 20:4, Psalm 37:4, Psalm 78:29, Proverbs 13:12, Proverbs 13:17) and then tells everyone that "God does not lie" and that "You can go to the Bank with God's promises". Hmmmnnn…..

To sum up his sermon in one sentence it would be "Don't Give Up".

Now, that's a great story for a pep-rally or for a half-time speech, but try telling that to someone who is being sexually abused… someone who's spouse is continually cheating on them… someone who's child has turned away from God.

"Raise up a child in the way he should go and he will not depart from it" Remember that verse? Now, if you have raised a child in the "way he should go" and he still "departs from it" you are left with 2 options:

Option 1: God is liar

Option 2: You suck.

Neither of these options lead to anything good and so many times I have seen people take Option 2 time and time again until they eventually give up and decide Option 1 must be the case.

I think you get my point so I'll end by once again saying, Life is not easy, but know that God's love for you is more powerful than any hardship you may be going through. We don't always have the answer and there are many times in life when it may seem like God has turned his back on you and when those times come…

Option 3: God has a plan for your life and I don't have all the answers…you should probably seek professional help.

See Frank, it isn't that hard.

From longtime reader, first time poster FICM: 

You've posted in the past about the controversy of Creationism vs. Evolution. This story is about how evangelicals are putting those differences aside to join scientists in fighting global warming. Finally, something positive from the Christian community regarding science!

Key quotes:

"Whether God created the Earth in a millisecond or whether it evolved over billions of years, the issue we agree on is that it needs to be cared for today," said Rich Cizik, vice president of government relations for the National Association of Evangelicals, which represents 45,000 churches.

Speakers at the Wednesday announcement will include megachurch pastor Joel Hunter, who refused to take the leadership of Christian Coalition of America because the organization wouldn't let him expand its agenda to include the environment and poverty.

I agree with FICM. It's good to see a Christian organization taking the lead on preserving our environment. What took them so long?

The New York Times has a three part series discussing the difficulty the Pentacostal Church is having keeping their youth in church.  The series does not really delve into any new topics, but it does have this fun paragraph describing the struggles of teenage Evangelicals.

And for the teenagers, it means navigating a tricky adolescence in which the boundaries are strict, but not always understandable. They can have cellphones and video games, but are told not to watch television. They can date, but preferably only other Pentecostals and then sometimes only with a chaperon. Dancing is taboo, but they can gyrate in religious ecstasy. Horror movies are bad, yet preachers regale them with gruesome visions of the apocalypse.

What? "Dancing is taboo, but they can gryate in religious ecstasy". I did not know this; this is news to me. At City Bible/Bible Temple, they define "gyrating in religious ecstasy" as hopping up and down.

 I don't think life was meant to be easy.

CBC is currently going through 21 Days of Expectations, which they call the "X-Factor", this is a time of prayer and fasting (dieting) where the church gathers together to look to the future. Here are the 21 Prayer Expectations and Scriptures they have listed for this time:

21 DAYS 21 PRAYER EXPECTATIONS 21 PRAYER SCRIPTURES

Expect your heart desire to be fulfilled Psalm 20:4; 21:2; 27:14; 36:7-8; 37:4,11 37:7,9; 145:16,19; Isaiah 55:2; 62:5

Expect your hope to be restored Job 14:7; 19:10; Psalm 31:24; 39:7; 42:5,11; 71:14; 78:7

Expect your dreams to be tested Genesis 37:1-10; Psalm 105:19; Deuteronomy 1:21; Proverbs 13:12; Romans 4:18; 5:2,4; 8:24; 12:12

Expect your prayers to be answered 2 Kings 3:5-15; Esther 7:2; Hosea 10:12; Luke 18:1-8; Acts 1:14; 2:4; Ephesians 6:18

Expect your heart to be strengthened 1 Corinthians 16:13; Galatians 6:9; 2 Timothy 4:7; Micah 7:7-8; Proverbs 24:16

Expect your steps to be ordered by the Lord Psalm 16:11; 25:4; 27:11; 119:105-107; Proverbs 3:6; 4:11-12; Isaiah 30:21; 42:16; Jeremiah 10:23

Expect your vision to be enlarged Deuteronomy 3:24; 2 Samuel 5:10; 2 Kings 6:1; 1 Chronicles 17:19; Ephesians 1:19; Isaiah 49:20

Expect all things to work for your good Genesis 50:20; Habakkuk 3:17-19; Matthew 6:25-33; Romans 5:3-4; 8:28

Expect new doors of possibilities Acts 14:27; 1 Corinthians 16:9; 2Corinthians 2:12; Colossians 4:3; Revelation 3:7-8

Expect miracles as you need them Matthew 4:23; 6:10; Luke 10:19; John 14:12; Acts 5:12; 8:6; 19:11-12; 1 Corinthians 4:20

Expect a fresh anointing 1 Samuel 16:13; Psalm 23:5; 92:10; Luke 4:18; 1 Corinthians 2:9; 1 John 2:27

Expect God's presence Exodus 33:14-16; Psalm 31:20; 91:1; Hebrews 13:8

Expect a blessed life Genesis 12:2; Numbers 6:24-26; Psalm 30:4-5; 41:1-2; 65:4; Proverbs 8:35; 10:22; 12:2; Ephesians 1:3

Expect God to honor you 1 Samuel 2:30; 1 Chronicles 29:12; Psalm 50:15; 62:7; 71:21; 84:11; Proverbs 22:4; John 12:26

Expect God to prosper you Deuteronomy 29:1-3; Joshua 1:7-8; 1 Kings 2:3; 2 Chronicles 26:5; Psalm 1:1-3; 2 John 1:2

Expect God to be generous Psalm 84:11; Proverbs 22:9; 2 Corinthians 9:5-6

Expect new spiritual power Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8; 4:33; 6:8; Romans 12:1; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Colossians 3:16

Expect radical changes in your life Galatians 4:19; Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 1:6; 2 Timothy 2:21

Expect God to speak to you 1 Samuel 3:1,11; 1 Kings 19:11-12; Job 33:14; Proverbs 8:34; John 10:27

Expect your faith to grow Genesis 12:1-3; Proverbs 29:25; Matthew 4:4; Luke 1:38; Romans 4:17-21; 2 Corinthians 5:7

Is it wrong that I am bothered by the over emphasis on an "easy and blessed life"? Yes, I realize that is the point, and while I understand the importance of positive thinking I can't help but think it is misleading and harmful if you do not allow for life's basic trials.

I think Wesley in The Princess Bride was dead on when he said, "Life is pain… anyone who tells you differently is selling something".

I know that may sound stupid to a lot of people, but what happens when God puts you through a challenge (aka "life")?

How are people supposed to be prepared for temptations, guilt, fear, marriage or family problems or any other daily affliction that we may face, if all they are taught is that they need to expect God to "prosper you", "honor you", and to "be generous" to you?

I find it interesting that under the "Expect all things to work for your good" category they list a number of scriptures that clearly talk about having faith in God DESPITE the trials that you are going through… of course you never hear about trials…at least I never did.

Look at the lives of the apostles, the disciples and even Jesus himself, you will not find a life filled with prosperity, wealth, and ease, but instead a life of trials and pain and sacrifice, but look at what Paul says… "7But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ" (Philippians 3:7).

Over the years I have seen so many hurting Christians who were Ill prepared to handle "life", because all they were taught was that God wanted to bless them and yet no matter what they did life didn't get any easier. The problem, as I see it, is that there is a real life that we all must live, but all to often Christians feel they must hide the "real" because it isn't a spotless and sinless life…

Let me just tell everyone the beauty of Christ's message is that He loves us despite what we go through. Life is not going to be a cakewalk for most of us, but no matter what, He will always be there for you. 

That is all the positive affirmation I need.

Here is an excellent comment from a gay man who grew up in Bible Temple. It is one of the better comments regarding homosexuality and the church that I have read on this blog. It is also a fascinating look at what it's like to grow up gay in a conservative Christian church.

I was a bit suprised to find this and have read through a lot of the postings on here. First of all, I belive I remember Tom Sparks son and have actually wondered what ever became of him since after the 8th grade I left BT schooling. I went to BT christian school from kindergarten to 8th grade and even attended the thursday night meetings up until I was 15, but after one particular meeting with a youth pastor that drew the last straw in my tollerance for their manipulation and control of my life, I left and did not look back.

I have been gay all of my life. I have always been an overly intelligent and inquisitive person. I learned what being gay meant when I was 10 by going to the public library and looking up any book I could find discussing the issue. I needed to know why I was different. I researched sex, relationships and religion surrounding homosexuality. I remember checking out 12 books and hiding them from my father so that I could figure out what was going on. I did have one instinct though when going to Bible Temple, and that was to hide myself from the people there. I learned early on that I could not trust people there. I saw the manipulations, the jockying for position even at a young age. I saw the politics and thought it was odd. You see, I also occasionally attended a Lutheren church with my grandparents. I felt more at home at the Lutheren church than I did with BT.

Now, attending BT christian school, I grew up with Ben Malmin. Ben was not an angel, far from it. Ben though had a certain charisma about him that made people want to be his friend, but one thing that always scared me was his father and his father’s position in the church. You see, me being gay, I doubt that I would have even been allowed any contact with his son, let alone allowed to remain in the school. this made things very lonely for me as well because I knew the curches position on gays and I was one of them. I was scared to let any of my classmates into my life and I suffered for it. I was depressed, alone, I felt betrayed by a church that preached love, but at the same time fostered hate and intollerance for anything different than what their “Management” deemed imorale. *forgive the spelling as I am trying to get this out fast.*

After I left the church because of their cult like rules, I did a lot of soul searching. I did a lot of questioning of my own belifes. I found that I still loved God and I still belived in God. Even to this day, I still “talk” to God and ask for help in doing what I need to do to follow Jesus example in how to treat your fellow man. I am still gay though. Which does not mean I am a slut or that my focus in life is sex. It just means that I love someone that is of the same gender. I think that many people get lost between love and sex. In my mind love comes first, no matter what your body tries to tell you. You have to ignore your body and actually find out if you love someone in mind and spirit. Sex should always be the last and least important thing when loving someone.
I will say this, that I have someone right nwo that I do love. It took me nearly 13 years to find him. It also took me 9 of those 13 years to get to know him before we decided that we wanted to be together. In this day and age where people get married after only knowing each other a few weeks…I’d say that I took my time.

As for BT…I learned about how to manipulate people with weaker minds. I learned that if you were different you should hide. I learned that you can’t always trust people in authority. I also learned that people drunk on their own power over other people are only out to do for themselves, and not others.

Tom, I am sure I knew your son, I belive he was in the 7th grade when I was in the 8th. I hope i’m thinking of the same person. He from what I remember was always a nice to me. I hope he is doing well.